The New Generation
by KittyThomas
Summary: A story about the kids at Hogwarts, sequel to 'the Last Year' set right after the epilogue. With all the pairings... George and Teatrina included! Obviously, there will be more pairings later. Fair few OCs. Reader led. R&R, please!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Hogwarts Express

**A/N: I know this has probably been done to death already, but I don't care! My interpritation is bound to be different, isn't it? Anyway, here it is; the kid's stories from Hogwarts. It's not going to be _really _long, to begin with it'll be fairly systematic bit-by-bit, but after they get settled it'll be random extracts from random years, otherwise it'll get boring. **

**Read at the bottom for justifications of... things.**

**.o0o.**

At once the smoking platform seemed to be peeling away, his parents no more than dots on the stone. Soon, the countryside clouded his vision. Albus Potter looked sadly back at the station and then at his cousin Rose, who was trying hard to maintain a façade of complete indifference.

"Come on, Al," she said, seizing his hand, "let's go find a compartment."

Al followed Rose's bouncing dark red curls and brisk walk as she marched down the corridor searching for spare seats. They hurriedly dodged the flying Pygmy Puff hurtling out of his brother James' busy compartment, which was already loud and clustered with his friends and (Al thought somewhat sickeningly) his admirers. James was fourteen –already halfway through his Hogwarts education- and somehow, bizarrely, was considered quite good-looking. He could hear the girls giggling and sighing over his jokes from outside. The sound itself made him feel slightly nauseous.

"He might have saved us some seats!" hissed Rose as she marched on passed, dragging Al behind her.

"Are you crazy? Share a compartment with him and his lunatic friends?"

"They aren't all bad, surely?"

"The ones I've met are."

Rose laughed, and skidded to a halt. "This one's nearly empty," she said, "We can't be too fussy, come on."

"But Rose-" started Albus. Too late. Rose had boldly slid the door aside and was already stepping in. She was greeted with a pale, wide-eyed stare.

"Oh, hello," said Rose warmly. "We were wondering if we could share your compartment?"

The pale-faced boy nodded and the two of them bustled inside, settling their bags. Al was trying to hiss something in her ear without being overheard. "But Rose," he pulled at her robes, "Rose, that's-"

She shot him a look that would have made her mother proud. Having known her all his life, Al could read it like a book. _"I know,"_ it said plainly, _"but I don't care."_

"I'm Rose Weasley-Granger," she announced matter-of-factly.

"Al," said Albus informally.

The boy looked up somewhat nervously. "I'm Scorpius," he offered gingerly. "Scorpius Malfoy." He said his last name quietly, not as if he were ashamed, but more afraid of what came with it. Albus understood immediately. From what he had heard from his father, the Malfoy name was slandered with the reputation of seriously mistrusted wizards, to be avoided at all costs. Although he'd been taught never to judge someone by their last name, Al couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for him. It was one thing to be expected to grow up as a Potter, his brother had told him, yet it must be another to arrive at Hogwarts with everyone expecting you to grow up as a traitor or dark wizard.

Rose smiled for no reason other than to be considered friendly and sat down in her seat, fumbling with the straps on her hand-basket. "You aren't afraid of cats, I hope, Scorpius?"

He shook his head.

Al smiled. "You got the cat then?"

Rose beamed, nodding ecstatically, and lifted out a tiny little black kitten with a white paw and bright blue eyes. "Goblino," she explained. "Isn't he adorable?"

"Yeah," admitted Al. "But he can't deliver letters for you!"

Rose shot him a light scowl. "So? I'll just steal yours or James', won't I? An owl can't warm your bed at night, or keep you company, or-"

"Bring you mice as presents."

Scorpius made a sound like a snigger but hid it under his hand. Al laughed and Rose threw a book at him.

"Sorry, Rosie. I was only joking."

"Goblino is lovely! And even if he _does _bring me mice, it's only in his nature. It would be like taking broomsticks away from you and James."

Suddenly, Scorpius' face lit up. "You play Quidditch?"

Al nodded. "Me and my brother, and my sister too. We've all played minor league games and stuff."

"What position do you prefer?"

"James likes Chaser –he's on the team now, actually- and I prefer Seeker, like my dad. Chaser's quite good too, though. Lily –that's my sister- can play _anything. _Seriously, she's the Quidditch prodigy of the family. You've never seen such a small thing hit a Bludger so hard." He said his both with a degree of envy and pride.

"Must be cool to play Quidditch with your siblings."

"Haven't you got any?"

"My younger brother, Sirrah- but he hates Quidditch. Says a broom's no fun unless it's bewitched."

"That's terrible!" said Rose, appalled.

"Yeah, exactly." Scorpius paused uncomfortably. "Do you play, Rose?"

Rose looked embarrassed. "I can't… I'm not… too good. With brooms. Better with books, really. I like the game though!" she added somewhat lamely.

Al laughed. "And you call yourself a Weasley…"

"A Weasley-_Granger,_" she corrected herself. "We can't all be perfect at Quidditch."

"Weasley?" Scorpius asked.

"Yeah, we're cousins." explained Rose, "My father's sister is Al's mother, hence why I'm a Weasley by name and he's a Potter." This seemed to inspire another thought. "Fancy a game of spot the cousins?" she asked.

Al laughed.

"You've got more cousins?"

"Yeah, loads. With five uncles, that can happen."

"I don't have any cousins," sighed Scorpius. "My father's an only child and my Uncle Edward never married. It's just my brother and I."

"Could be worse."

There was suddenly a very loud bang followed by the sound of screaming, and a herd of people dashed down the corridor. Among them was a small mousy-haired boy with horn-rimmed glasses came running into their compartment.

"Honestly, those two are completely-"

"Hey, Phil."

The boy turned round to face them. "Oh, hello Rose, Al! I didn't see you to at the platform!" he pushed his glasses further up his nose. "Oh, and who's this?"

"Ah, Scorpius, this is our cousin, Phillip Weasley, he's in his second year. Phil, this is Scorpius Malfoy."

"Malfoy, eh?" said Phil a little sceptically, holding out his hand. "Well, welcome to Hogwarts I daresay. I think I should leave now though- before those two…"

Another shriek and a flock of people hurtled passed the door, and this time, Phillip went with them. Al was secretly rather glad, Phillip had never been one of his favourite cousins, just like his father was his least favourite uncle. There were highs to his family visiting them though, and if he wasn't much mistaken, two of them were at the bottom of that corridor.

"What does he mean by 'those two'?" asked Scorpius, slightly nervously.

Al laughed. "His sisters-"

"By the sound of things."

"Both unlike him in every way-"

"And all too like each other!"

Sure enough, shortly after the departure of their brother came the sound of cackling laughter. Two young witches stepped into their compartment, wands and eyes sparkling in unison. Scorpius looked up in awe. They were alike in very sense of the word, from their spiky red pigtails to their cheeky smiles. They were quite tall, probably in their last few years at Hogwarts.

"Hey! If it isn't Rose and Albus!" One of them chuckled, drawing them into a casual embrace. "Didn't see you on our hurry to get on the train! Dad was being a total nightmare-"

"As usual-"

"As usual indeed, Gwen."

"Hey!" The other one noticed Scorpius sitting by the window. "Friend of yours, Al? Introduce us!"

"Oh," said Al suddenly. "Sorry. We've only just met. This is Scorpius. And these two-" he gestured to the twins, "Are some _more _cousins of mine, Gwendolyn and Francesca"

"Frannie and Gwen,"

"Or Gwennie and Fran."

"Perhaps even Fwen and Gran-"

"Either way, little firstie, we welcome you to Hogwarts."

"Yeah," said Fran, "Hope to see you in Gryffindor, best house, you know!"

"Yeah, see you two later, we're off to find something else to blow up."

The two of them strode off boldly, wands and eyes twinkling dangerously alike.

"Wow," said Scorpius, "They're something."

"Aren't they just?" Giggled Rose, "Everyone loves the troublesome twins. Runs in the family, you see. Can't have a Weasley generation without them!"

"Yeah," agreed Al, "Uncle George was one of the last one, but his twin died in the War- so they came as a bit of a shock, really."

"Especially to Uncle Percy- he's _so _like Phillip, you wouldn't believe-"

"Boring to a capital 'B'."

"That's a bit mean Al…"

"Yeah, but it's true."

Rose ignored him. "Anyway, it's just quite ironic he should be stuck with their female doubles as daughters. Story goes he never got on too well with them…"

"And he's not exactly the doting father type, least not with them. Phillip and Peter –he's the youngest, ten- well, they're another story."

"Yeah. Boring with a capital 'B'."

"Al! You can't say that! They're very studious, is all. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Rosie, you _would _say that. You like books as much as they do. But at least you do other things- James says Phil never left the library last year accept to eat, sleep, and attend lessons. Seriously."

"You can't associate the word 'serious' with your brother," said Rosie icily.

Al opened his mouth to retaliate and then shut it promptly, realising she was probably right.

At uncomfortable silence drifted between the three that stretched out until they were once more interrupted by the presence of yet more cousins, in this case, a welcome interruption by four very beautiful females with an assortment of hair colours ranging from red, to blonde, to a faint strawberry colour. Scorpius mouth hung open in shock.

"Why, hello!" Victoire Weasley, tall and willowy, wrapped her arms gracefully around her cousins and pulled them into her embrace, much to their embarrassment. "I told you they'd be here, didn't I, girls? Honestly you two, can you believe Amie didn't realise you two would be starting this year?"

The one next to her, with a shining red bob scowled. "Hey, I'm not the one who forgot how many cousins we had!"

"A slip of the tongue, we have so many-"

"Lay off, Vic! You were _so _wrong! Just admit it already." Adrienne, the youngest of the four present, had a cheekiness her sisters lacked. Of all the cousins he'd met so far, Scorpius decided she was probably mostly like the twins he had seen earlier, but her youthful prettiness somehow set her apart. Rose seemed to catch on at his staring.

"These lot are all part Veela," she explained.

"Ever so _slightly_-" argued the third, a shining blonde.

"But apparently enough for you to notice!" Victoire laughed. "Forgive me. I am Victoire Weasley, and these are my sisters- Amelie, Genevieve and Adrienne." She said their names with an over-the-top French accent and all three girls laughed.

"Just call me Amie,"

"Genny. With a 'G' though."

"And Adie."

"Mum's French," explained Victoire. "She went a little overboard with our names. And she actually _does _say them like that. We'd sound rather stupid around school if we spoke like that."

"I'm Scorpius." Al noticed he didn't trust them with his last name after the response he had from Phillip.

"A pleasure."

"So, you guys nervous?" Adrienne asked brightly.

"Just a bit," muttered Al.

"Rose?"

"Terrified."

"Oh, don't worry so much!" laughed Genevieve softly, draping her arm around he shoulder. "We will love you no matter which house you're in (though I still think Hufflepuff is best), so long as you don't damage the 'wide but wonderful reputation of Weasley!' Or Potter, in your case, Al."

"Dad's words, not ours."

"Anyway," smiled Victoire, "It has been a delight to meet you, Scorpius, but I must get back to my friends. I hope to see you in Ravenclaw with Rosie and Al."

"Or Hufflepuff," said Genevieve.

"Or Gryffindor!" Adrienne smiled and followed her sisters out. "Later, cousins!"

When he was quite sure they had gone, Scorpius turned back to Rose and Al anxiously. "Are any of your cousins in Slytherin?" he asked.

They both shook their heads. "Most are in Gryffindor, but Phillip's in Hufflepuff with Genny, and Victoire and Amelie are in Ravenclaw, and our cousin Aika whom you haven't met. But not one is in Slytherin."

Scorpius looked down at his feet, and then up again. "What house do you think you'll be in?"

"Nobody knows what house they'll be in!" Squeaked Rose uncomfortably.

"Well, most of your family's in Gryffindor, aren't they? Isn't that where you want to go?"

"Well, I suppose… but Ravenclaw's lovely too and there's no denying I am a _little _clever, and the Hufflepuffs are very friendly and patient…"

"But you don't want to be in Slytherin, do you?"

Rose bowed her head sadly.

"I'll be in Slytherin." Said Scorpius, defeated.

"You can't know that-"

"All my family's in Slytherin. All of them."

"So?" Al suddenly felt a little angry. "My dad's godfather was a Black- came from a family of pureblood Slytherins. He was in Gryffindor. There's no reason for you to think you have to be, just because of your _family._"

"Al's right."

"Maybe," mumbled Scorpius shyly.

Al didn't know what bothered him so much. If Scorpius was in Slytherin, what did it matter to him? The Sorting Hat would be right in the end, wouldn't it? In fact, what did it matter if he, Albus Potter, went to Slytherin and Scorpius to Gryffindor? His father had already told him it didn't matter. And it didn't. So Al decided it was his defeated attitude that annoyed him. The fact he thought he had to be in Slytherin because of his family. That was like saying he would be expected to save the world because he was Harry Potter's son, or that every Weasley had to be good at Quidditch (which Uncle Percy and Rose had clearly proved wasn't the case).

"Mrow?" A tiny paw scratched at his leg.

"Goblino!" Rose ran forward and scooped him up. "Silly kitten…"

"So, Rose, Albus-" Scorpius started. "Any more crazy cousins be dropping in on us?"

Rose did a quick calculation. "No, unless James –you know, Al's brother- comes by, I think that's it. We've two more at Hogwarts but they never get the train."

Scorpius frowned. "How come?"

"They live in Hogsmeade."

"Why?"

Rose smiled. "Because their mother is the headteacher and their father owns a shop there."

Scorpius looked vaguely like he'd been hit in the back of the head with a bludger. "Your aunt is headmistress at Hogwarts?"

"Yep."

"And your parents saved the world?"

"Yep."

"And you've got more cousins than any other wizarding family?"

"Er, possibly. Yep."

"I think I rather envy you guys."

**.o0o.**

**Yeah, so Scorpius isn't at all like Malfoy, apart from how he looks, obviously. And that's cool. Not everyone will be happy with that, I appreciate, but I didn't want to make him a stereotypical double of his father, seeing as Rose and Albus are pretty much their parents.**

**The Weasley-Delacour sisters. Amelie, Genevieve and Adrienne are mine. Yes, Bill has six girls and one son. Come on, someone was going to do it! I blame the fact they're part Veela- for some reason I'm inclined to believe they're more likely to produce female offspring. Whatever, the Weasleys need more girls!**

**Yes, they have a lot of cousins. They would though, wouldn't they? If you consider that at least five Weasleys get married (I wasn't sure about Charlie... sort of left him out) and all not long after the War. Ever heard of the Baby Boom? That, and the Weasleys seem to have a lot of kids anyway. In total, within this story, there are 19 new Weasleys. Don't like that? Can't help it! I like happy endings!**

**Naturally, due to this Baby Boom, Hogwarts probably have a lot more students.**

**Rose- yes, she's Hermione, but with Ron's red hair (and possibly a few other things... we'll see) And she's a Weasley-Granger. I know JKR said she was simply Rose Weasley, but I imagine Hermione keeping her name... she's cool like that... and insisting the double-barrel their kids. We'd have way too many Weasleys otherwise!**

**Oh, and ages. I made James fourteen because the two year age gap is soooooooo uncreative. Yes, it's a common age gap. I personally don't like it. So he's fourteen. Deal.**

**OK, ranting over.**

**Next chapter: The Sorting Ceremony! Where do you think they'll be???**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Bet you all thought I'd given up on this one, eh? Nope! It's back! **

**It's impossible to please everyone when writing Harry Potter. It just is. So not everyone will be happy with what's happening and what houses they're in, but that can't be helped. See bottom for justification.**

**PS, This is set in my alternate HP world which began in _The Last Year, _and doesn't follow what JK stated happened after, hence why there are different Weasley cousins and George is married to a kick-ass lady called Teatrina- who seems widely popular. Personally, it annoys me when writers continue to add facts after the last book had been published. A little should be left to the imaginations of the reader...or the writers of fanfic.**

The Sorting Hat

"Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God."

"Rose, calm down, it's OK-"

"OK? OK!? How can it be OK? What if I don't get chosen at all? What if I just sit there? What if-"

"Rosie, that's never happened before, what makes you think-"

"There's a first time for everything, isn't there? What if-"

"You won't be."

"But just say-"

"Don't worry about it."

With a final tug, Albus pulled Rose out of the boat and Scorpius followed behind her. They were both trying to hide the fear in their faces and walks too. Never had walking in Hagrid's shadow seemed more foreboding than that night as they walked up to the brilliantly lit castle, a herd of other first years trailing behind them, each with a matching nervous expression.

"Don't worry, yeh'll all be fine," Hagrid beamed, looking at Rose and Albus. He clearly wanted to say more but was trying to act the part of teacher. In the Entrance Hall, he turned them over to Neville, who winked and smiled at them.

"Doesn't he look funny in his teachers robes?" Rose giggled.

Neville cleared his throat. "Ahem. Welcome all, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am the deputy head, Professor Longbottom. You'll all have the pleasure of my Herbology lessons this year, and for the next five years, so let's be pleasant, all right? In a few moments, the Sorting Ceremony will be begin. For all the Muggle-Borns among you, you basically put a hat on your head, and it tells you what house you're in. Some people think this is of great importance, but others not to so much. In any case, each house has _equal _values within the school, and we encourage you to mix with others. Hostility to other houses is –and apparently, never has been, I'm supposed to tell you- tolerated in any form. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads. Neville groaned comically.

"There never is. Come on then, let's got on with it!"

The doors burst open and they marched in awkward pairs up the Great Hall where a burnt and frayed hat sat on a lonely stall. Faces looked up from all the tables, cousins waving and winking. At the centre of the table, a pretty witch with dark dappled hair and immaculate robes smiled at them secretly, suppressing her urge to wave.

"Doesn't Aunt Andy look nice?" Rose whispered in Al's ear, but Al had been overtaken by a fit of nerves and was in no condition to reply. He was trying to concentrate on the words of the Sorting Hat's song, but they made no sense whatsoever. Eventually, after what seemed like an age, it finished.

"Didn't know it did that," remarked Scorpius, causing some girl at the back to laugh.

Neville was speaking again. "When I call your name, come up to the stool and put the hat on your head. And don't worry. He doesn't bite."

Most of the students chuckled briefly at the joke as Neville unrolled his parchment.

"Bane, Jack."

A confident-looking boy with dark curled hair walked forward and pulled the hat over his head. It pondered for a moment or two, then,

"SLYTHERIN!"

The boy hopped off to join the Slytherin table, receiving a clap on the back from at least two of his housemates.

"Cartridge, Cassopia."

Another Slytherin. A murmur went up from the other tables, two Slytherins in a row? Thankfully, the next student, Charles Emerson, was a Ravenclaw, followed by a Hufflepuff and the first Gryffindor, a cheeky-looking dark-haired girl.

"Harper, Harmoy."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Jameson, Eric."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Leonard, Paul."

"RAVENCLAW."

Finally, came M.

"Magila, Maria."

As a shy girl with mousy, dishwasher hair stepped forward, Albus spun round to face Scorpius.

"Do you want to be in Slytherin?" he asked seriously.

"What?"

"Do you _want _to? Actually _want_ it?"

"My whole family's-"

"That's not the question. Because if you don't want to be, tell the Sorting Hat. Don't… 'give into your fate' or whatever."

Scorpius opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Neville.

"Malfoy, Scorpius."

With a backward glance, Scorpius stepped up to the stool. Albus felt a hand grip his arm nervously, and turned to see Rose biting her lip. She seemed to be hissing something under her breath but it was too low for Al to hear. He looked up, eagerly awaiting the Sorting Hat's answer.

It seemed to be taking forever, and whispers were emerging at the corners of the room. Why was it taking this long. Al heard someone from the Slytherin table say, 'it's never taken any Malfoy more than a few seconds to be sorted into Slytherin before' as if Scorpius weren't worthy of his name.

Al felt his anger rising and close his eyes in frustration. Why did everyone always expect you to turn out like your parents or siblings? Just because he was a Potter and a Weasley, didn't mean he was certain to be a Gryffindor, and the same for Rose. Phillip's parents had been a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw, yet he was still in Hufflepuff. It didn't matter one bit. It didn't, it didn't…

"_Not Slytherin, not Slytherin…_"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Al opened his eyes. His surprise was equal to Scorpius', who was tumbling nervously off the stool and scampering over to the waiting table, aware all the eyes in the room were on him. Everybody looked in shock as a Malfoy, Slytherins for centuries, became a Gryffindor.

"Al! _Albus! _He's in Gryffindor! Did you see? _Gryffindor!_" Rose was tugging at his sleeve.

_"Narebolt, Rupert."_

"I know, Rose. I can see. And hear. Don't keep shrieking."

_"HUFFLEPUFF!"_

"Oh, but, _oh!_" she exclaimed, almost hopping up and down. "I'm so-"

"Will you be quiet, please?" Hissed a girl in front of them, "I'm up soon!"

Rose scowled behind her back.

_"McKane, Lavender."_

_"RAVENCLAW!"_

Shortly afterwards, the girl in front of them (Ella Octavia) became another Ravenclaw. Al barely had time to think about when his name came, to worry about what house he would be in, before Neville was calling out his name.

"Potter, Albus."

Then they came. The murmurs. The voices James had warned him about. The hushed exchanged of, "Potter? As in- _the _Potter?" followed by, "What, is it James' bro?" He could hear the almost mocking voices of his part-Veela cousins, "Oh, lay off. He's our little cousin!"

"Still, a Potter-"

"Oh, grow up, like it matters."

"Stop teasing him…"

"He's a Weasley really, you know-"

The last line made him chuckle, and he looked up at the sound of the voice to see his one of his oldest cousins, Fred, winking at him, nodding him towards the Sorting Hat. Al suddenly wished he'd been able to talk to him before the Ceremony began. Fred wouldn't care what house he was in, joke about him butchering him on another Quidditch team, laugh about inter-house championships and putting cockroaches in the beds of particularly unliked teachers.

There was no time for any of that now. The last thing Al saw before he pulled the hat over his head was hundreds of expectant faces, his cousins' and brother's among them, and Neville's thumbs up.

_"A POTTER!" _Shrieked the hat.

Al nearly screamed, but instead yelled something back, although his lips did not move. "Hey! Not so loud!"

"Sorry, bit carried away. So, I suppose you want to be in Gryffindor, don't you??"

"Yes please." said Al quickly.

The Sorting Hat laughed. "Tough, because you're going to be a SLYTH- joking, joking. You're so obviously…a GRYFFINDOR!"

The last word he spoke to the room and the whole Gryffindor table seem to erupt into cheers. "Potter! Potter!" Called strangers, "We've got another Potter! Woo-hoo!"

Al felt hands pulling him into a seat, squeezed next to a rather confused looking Scorpius whose welcome had not been as celebrated or, really, welcoming at all. But although the gleeful shouts of his cousins were not unnoticed, Albus could only think of poor Rose, now alone and even more nervous.

"She'll be in Gryffindor, won't she?" asked Scorpius anxiously.

Albus shrugged and looked sadly back at her.

Fred Weasley fought his way towards his cousin. He was the spitting image of his father, but his hair was that of his mother's- a tousled dark brown. It bore streaks of red and there was no denying he was a Weasley and his father's son at that- he had that mischievous twinkle in his eye and could easily pass for Fran and Gwen's brother rather than cousin.

"She'll be in Ravenclaw, we reckon," he answered. "Too clever for her own good."

"You can't say that!" Argued Adie, "Her mother was extremely clever and-"

"And brave."

"I'm sure Rose is her double. And Uncle Percy is very clever and he was in Gryffindor too. You can't say just because someone's smart they'll be in Ravenclaw."

"Yeah, that's true. Luna's a raving nutter."

Adie sighed. "I give up! Like talking to a brick wall, honestly…"

"Weasley-Granger, Rose."

Albus snapped his head back round as Rose tottered nervously up to the stool. Murmurs began at her name too, several of them beginning 'another Weasley'. A handful of people who clearly didn't know them that well turned round to Fred and Adie asking them 'not another one of yours?'

"Cousin," they replied.

Rose nervously pulled the hat over her head, blocking out the whispers. The more intelligent of the school population were exchanging chatter around the Granger part of her name. "Do they mean Hermione Granger? The famous author?"

"It's not an uncommon name among Muggles I hear."

"Doesn't she look like her though? I met her once at a book signing…"

Al's eyes were rooted on Rose. She was shaking ever so slightly, gripping the stool. He wondered what the Sorting Hat was saying to her.

"She'll have to be in Ravenclaw, obviously, so clever I'm sure…"

"Well, both her parents were in Gryffindor…"

"Bet she'll be in Slytherin. Ha! That'd surprise them."

"Well, we just had a Malfoy in Gryffindor, I think the balance could do with being restored…"

Al was so busy listening to the others that he didn't realise the Sorting Hat had spoken, only that suddenly, everyone around him seemed to be cheering.

"Albus! Al! She's in Gryffindor! GRYFFINDOR! She's with us!" Scorpius was hopping up and down with excitement.

"Yes! Yes!" Adie hugged Fran and Gwen, who were cheering at the top of their voices.

Rose climbed off her stool and came towards them. She was still shaking, but there was a huge smile spread across her face.

"Al…" she shook with excitement. "Al, I'm in Gryffindor…I'm with you. I'm still with you!"

**.o0o.**

**Right, now I have to justify why they are ALL in Gryffindor, don't I? Bet you think I'm super-Gryffindor-fan, don't you? Not so. I would have been happy with Rose in Ravenclaw, even Hufflepuff. I would also have been happy with Al and Scorpius in Slytherin. Why weren't they? Because Al is a Gryffindor. That's the character he is. And I wanted Scorpius to defy stereotypes. Rose was the trickiest, because I do see her as a Ravenclaw, but would she have been happy there with her two best friends elsewhere? It took a while for the Sorting Hat to place her anywhere, but in the end I think she was brave (and bossy) enough to decide for herself. I can imagine her saying, 'Put me in Gryffindor, or I'll carve you a new mouth.'**

**Like it or lump it, that's the way it is!**


End file.
